The Truth of the Matter is
by Emi no koi
Summary: HinataXSurprise Pairing. Hinata is at a loss and does the impossible. What drove her to that point? Rated T for themes.
1. Strength

Um, I hope everyone likes it, it took me quite a bit to write it, so review but please don't be mean, I don't really like flames, or extremely 'constructive criticism'. Yeah, so, enjoy!

Oh, and for who it was, I want to leave it up to you guys, whatever pairing, or friendship pairing you like with Hinata is should work, it can be a guy or girl, but it's insinuated as a guy I think.

Thank you for reading in advance ^.^

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Dawn. The sun was just barely making its way above the horizon. A soft breeze blew through her hair. Her. The one nobody acknowledged, the one who spent her whole life working for something she was never going to be given to begin with. Power. Love. Acceptance. No matter how much she had grown, nobody would ever notice. Her hair grew longer, her speech impediment was nearly gone, and her skill was higher than most. From soft-spoken and shy, to just quiet and thoughtful, a good leader in the making, but nobody would ever consider that. After all, her younger sister was next in line for power. Her younger sister that never showed any weakness. And to everyone else, that was Hyuuga Hinata. Weak.

She had the perfect view. High on a cliff, hidden behind a small series of trees. Nobody knew about this place. It fit her. Small, hidden, but offered so much more than it appeared. A place of solitary and refuge, the perfect place for her she thought, and the perfect way to complete her task this day. She continued writing on a sheet of paper grasped delicately in her hand. She gazed outward, looking at Konohagakure before her. She saw the smaller kids playing ninja, common citizens living their daily lives, even her team members training relentlessly, Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba.

They didn't know she was here today, she doubted it would matter either, they were busy, she never mattered much to them either. Sure, there were times they helped each other, but ever since the academy it has been the same. Before she was put on a team with them, she never talked to them, not that Shino was much of a talker. They felt obligated to help her out, the poor weak little Hyuuga who couldn't take care of herself. Deep down, she knew, they resented her for that. Never able to go on higher class missions, always feeling as if she was their anchor, the only thing stopping them from going any further ahead. When she said she was going to get stronger, they never really took her seriously. They agreed to help, but not much. Eventually she graduated into training on her own. It helped her a lot more, when no one was judging or critiquing everything she did. No one was acting like her father when she was alone.

Her father, Hyuuga Hiashi. A man of honor, the face for the main branch of the Hyuuga household, the real man was of cold calculating brutality. When her mother died, Hinata was still young. She didn't know much, she never really had the state of mind to make the realization someone important to her was gone. She never knew how her mother died; she wasn't there, so she never could feel ultimately terrible about it either. Her father never mentioned it either. She felt as is her mother was there one day, and gone the next, she never really did have much of a connection to her, it was as if the day she died, Hinata's memories of her were all erased as well, so there was nothing to miss except her presence and face.

Not that Hinata ever told anyone this, but she has no recollection of that entire year of her life, she thought that maybe she didn't want to either. All she knew was after her mother had died; her father had become cruel and unhappy to her. He was never satisfied and constantly brought her down. It was not that Hanabi was better than her; in fact, Hanabi was never going to be better than her. Because she was the oldest child, her father constantly berated her and destroyed any confidence she had. She had always been far stronger than Hanabi (who due to the lack of her father's wrath, had been way more confident than her older sister), but was far too timid to stand up for herself enough to show him her true power. Although lacking confidence, Hinata had something far more valuable, skill. Her cousin Neji, the Hyuuga prodigy branch member, was probably the closest to ever finding out the potential Hinata had, but he never fathomed how much.

One of the best things about being quiet, Hinata thought, was that you become observant. She knew a lot about things people normally didn't know their selves.

She knew that Haruno Sakura had taken Uzumaki Naruto for granted when she was in love with Uchiha Sasuke in the academy, she just felt that he would always be there, making her feel better each time Sasuke would reject her. Hinata knew long before everyone else that Sakura had started falling for Naruto herself.

Hinata knew Sasuke's path of power and revenge would lead to him leaving the village, even going to people who were bound to try to kill him anyway. She knew about the massacre. She knew everything there was to know about it. She had seen it happening to Sasuke, had seen him run past her crying when she was picking flowers, she had figured it out later on. She saw him change, and saw his path, which is why she was the only one not surprised when she left the village. She was only worried about the boys going after him, even if she knew he would make sure they were okay, one way or another.

Hinata knew, despite his laziness and lack of motivation, Nara Shikamaru was incredibly intelligent, and was going to be an amazing leader and strategist when he got older. She knew that ever since he made friends with Akimichi Chouji, he found something in life he wanted to protect for once: his friendship, and nothing was going to keep him from doing so.

Hinata knew, she always knew, about Chouji's real powers, how even if he looked chubby or big or whatever anyone thought, there was a reason for it, it was his way or protecting and surviving, and no one can say they didn't admire that or anything else he could do. She personally thought Chouji and Shikamaru were born friends, even if their fathers seemed to have set that up.

Then there was Yamanaka Ino. She stood for a lot of things. Sakura's rival in love, Chouji and Shikamaru's teammate, and surprisingly, Hinata's best girl friend. Ino had her bad points, mainly letting herself become part of Sakura's childish games, but her good points were what made them become so close. Ino was competitive when she wanted something, but it was more for the fun of the competition than anything else. She believed in having fun with life. Something Hinata could only admire. Ino always felt as if she would never be better than Sakura, but it was untrue. It was not that she wasn't better, she was different; at least that was what Hinata always said. Ino was a fighter and a healer, someone you could train with. She was someone who was upbeat and helpful, and someone who Hinata could rely on. They were good for each other, Ino always said. The thought made Hinata feel guilty as her steady hand became shaky as she clutched the paper to her chest as she tried to breath deeply again. It worked and she continued to write again.

The Sand Siblings were a different story entirely. Kankurou was weird and perverted, but his aura suggested a man, maybe a big brotherly kind of guy, who would always protect his brother and sister, no matter what they did. Temari was flirtatious but had an icy kind of skill that made her seem scary at first. She seemed to be a bit on the girly side but was always able, always ready, for anything really. You could tell that as much as she fought with them, she loved her brothers dearly and hated when anything would happen to them.

Sabaku no Gaara, he was Hinata's favorite actually. Cold and misunderstood at first, a killing machine, but holding a deep sadness deep inside all on his own. After he had changed, he started coming to Konohagakure more often, much happier-to visit Naruto sometimes, mostly just for business. But he and Hinata had become friends. It was an unspoken, silent agreement between them. They understood each other, yet knew nothing about one another, and that was all that really mattered. Weird, people would say, but that was all they needed. It all would work out in the end as it was.

For some reason, this reminded her of Rock Lee and Tenten. Neji's teammates. Not really knowing anything about them, all she could think of was a squirrel and panda dancing on top of a crystal ball. Yeah, even _Hinata_ had a sense of humor, could you guess who was what?

Reliving her memories once more was sad, yet happy experience to her. Her memories were all she had now, and now they were going to be lost. She finished up with the paper in her hand, signing her name in cursive, folding it up, and putting it into a small lavender envelope. A twig snapping was heard behind her and she turned around and stood up slowly, already knowing who it was.

"Hey"

"Hi"

"So what are you doing up here?"

"Finishing it"

"Finishing what?"

The question was ignored. Hinata gazed out as the sun was already at it's peak now. It could have been noon then.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything"

"Who do you think I am?"

"Well that's stupid, you are Hyuuga Hinata, Jounin-"

"I'm being serious"

"Well…You're someone who is strong, yet gentle….nice, always willing to help…sweet and pretty, yet still shy and modest…I—"

"Thank you. Please try to remember that."

"Wait, what? Hey watch what you're doing, the edge—Hinata?"

She turned towards the person behind her with tears streaming down her face but a content smile on her delicate features. The she turned back around and started for the edge.

"But…why?"

She jumped. Her eyes closed as she fell, tears still streaming down, and the smile still there, facing the person watching her with overwhelming grief.

"Because…The truth of the matter is…I'm not as strong as I thought I was…."

And then, she was gone, a drop with no chance of surviving, a single letter in an envelope left on the ground. The only thing left of her, holding every feeling and emotion and thought, her last moments, in letter form.

**To:**_ The only one who cared_


	2. Honesty

_Hyuuga Hinata did not start her life on a path to suicide. In fact, most would say her life was to be long and full of promise. The thing is, everyone has got that something. Something in them that can just snap, causing them to barrel along a spiral of self destruction._

_Hinata was not like most. She did not just snap. She was worn down, hanging by a thread—until finally, someone cut it._

**Aburame Shino was not much of a talker. This did not, however, mean he was unemotional. He had his own troubles, pains, and problems that caused him to sometimes disregard this silent exterior as a way of de-stressing.**

**The reason he was not like this all the time, the reason he was quiet—Aburame Shino had no filter once he started talking. Every single cooped up thought of him would rush out as harsh, angry words.**

**So when he saw Hinata's barely identifiable frame along with the others, he knew exactly why he stayed silent.**

A gentle wind found its way among various training grounds, briefly displacing grass and shaking the leaves off of trees. Another Spring was in the mist as two figures sat on the grass of their forest meeting place. Both looked fresh and ready, albeit slightly exasperated from their wait. The entirety of the surroundings was natural, quiet. Everything but, the slight shifts of discomfort by the young female.

Her tiny, bulky frame appeared to make the incessant sound of the tiniest movements. An annoyed sigh left the young man's lips as he glanced at her behind his lenses. Immediately, the girl was at alert, leaning forward slightly towards the boy.

"Uh..uhm...Shino-kun? Is..something wrong?" Her voice went from a whisper to a high pitched squeak by the end of it. Eight months on the team, and still she could not be comfortable around the least overbearing of her teammates.

Oh how sick he was of this wilting delicate flower of a human being. She was so kind and caring, but just absolutely useless in his eyes. She often hesitated to even raise a hand to her teammates when sparring. He simply could not fathom why such a person became a ninja, much less a ninja from the same prestigious clan that was backing his into a corner. The same one that was insisting his clan cut back on research, in the interest of the village. She was pathetic.

He stepped closer to her, glaring through his dark lenses at the fragile girl.

"You fidget so much." His voice was strong. Deep and meaningful.

"Sor-" She started it but he just continued.

"You're annoying. Here we are, waiting for our teammates and it has not occurred to you once to actually get up and train, using this time to better yourself. At the moment, I am using my bugs and forcing them further out—trying to extend the distance of control. I'm not just mindlessly sitting here playing with my fingers like you!" Even yelling, his voice barely moved up a level.

Hinata looked down at her feet, breaking eye contact once more. With a frustrated breath he went on.

"There you are again, retreating. You are a kunoichi who meekly accepts berating words. Grow a backbone and learn to fight your own battles. I am sick of always having to take care of you!"

She winced as the volume of his voice noticeably increased.

"You always says you want to get better but you are so afraid of everything that you do absolutely nothing to help anyone, much less yourself. Naruto is your inspiration, right?" He didn't wait for an answer.

"Do you think he would ever glance at someone so gloomy and weird as you? You can't even stay awake around him for more than five seconds and you are a poor excuse for a ninja. He will never tear those stupidly adoring eyes away from Sakura to spare time for someone like you."

Hinata's somber silence only fuelled him further.

"You are weak! I wish I'd never have been put on a team with such a nuisance!" His last breath came out more like a bark. He was breathing heavily, sweat dripping off his brow. He was done now, his stress was gone. Slowly, what he just did sunk in. He gritted his teeth and waited.

For a slap? None came.

For a whimper? Not a sound.

To look down at her face sitting across from him and see tears? That's what he expected, already preparing to ramble off some remorseless apologies to shut her up. That didn't happen either.

No longer was Hinata fiddling with her fingers or shuffling her feet nervously. She sat on a log across from him, perfectly poised. Her hands were on her lap as her eyes remained closed, as if listening with such a gentle look on her face. Seeming to sense he was done, she opened them. There was nothing that could prepare him for what he saw. He saw nothing at all. Her eyes were dead. For the first time ever, she looked just like a Hyuuga.


	3. Betrayal

**At 14 years old, Inuzuka Kiba was going crazy. His hormones were completely out of whack. Every single time he saw a female, something in him would stir. Save for his own family, every female (human more often) would cause him to feel a lot more...constricted. The worst thing about it, Kiba was in love. And every glance from those innocent pearls caused to complete horror of his condition to send him running in the opposite direction.**

**The Inuzuka clan was quite special, and not just because of their close relation with canines. Puberty was, for lack of better terms,**_** intense**_** for their members. In fact, it was often referred to as similar to a dog in heat. At his age, he lacked a lot of the control and maturity needed to deal with it. Being such a passionate child, Kiba's family knew he was more than capable of ignoring his brain and following his heart—they just didn't expect it so soon.**

**When Kiba stood overlooking the dead girl's body 5 years later; he could only feel responsible.**

It was so, so frustrating! Why did this happen to him? During a mission, no less. They were a four-man-cell : Kiba, Shino, Kurenai..and Hinata. They were. Up until they were attacked by some rogue ninja forcing both Kurenai and Shino to stay in Sunagakure for medical attention. Naturally, Kiba and Hinata insisted on staying, only to be refused by the stern voice of Kurenai who wished for them to make it back in time for one of Konohagakure's many summer festivals. The Hyuuga clan had a particular influence on this one, so Kurenai was steadfast about Hinata getting back for the celebration. "Kiba-kun. Take care of her."

So they had set off, together. Oh how Kiba wished to change that now. They should have waited anyway. These changes in him, brought on so suddenly—he never realized how drastic the effects were. He was far too embarrassed to have mentioned this to Kurenai either. His infatuation with the Hyuuga girl was making them spiral out of control.

Kiba had really been doing his best, constantly meditating and distancing himself from any of her 'girly' distractions. When Hinata had said she was going to wash up by the river, he barely spared her a nod. Although, the image that followed kept etching its mark upon his mind. More and more came, each more vulgar and dirty than the last. The erogenous display was enough to make him want to rip his hair out really.

Then, something altered. His body started moving on his own. Much like a predator, he stalked his pray—Waiting for the right moment.

Just a peek. Just a peek. He was praying to every deity he knew of saying those words. He was just going to get an eyeful, and rush back in order to satisfy those dirty desires before she even noticed. It would definitely calm him down until they could get home. Just a peek. Just a peek. He was but an untamed mess of a boy.

"Who's there?" Hinata turned in all her glory, visibly struggling even with her Byakugan activated. She wasn't going to get her answer. Just a peek was not enough. She had just enough time to register a grabbing her wrist and a familiar chakra scent before everything went blank.

When she woke up, she breathed a sigh of relief. She was in her own tent, not some cave or cellar in the middle of nowhere that she had been expecting. Perhaps it was a dream. Well, until she realized that she was tied down. A gag prevented the sound of her gasp to escape as she realized that her body was on complete display. She was definitely not safe.

She struggled for a while, realizing the bonds to be laced with chakra...slowly feeding from hers so that she didn't even have enough to activate her bloodline. Whoever had her, knew about her abilities. They knew exactly how to make her helpless. If anything, she was worried more than ever. Where was Kiba? Had they caught him as well? Were they after her family and trapping the weak heiress in order to get to them? For a second, she almost laughed horrifically at the thought that the kidnappers were certainly at a dead end with that one.

Then, she felt it again. The same familiar chakra signature from before. Familiar, but not quite right. The figure of Inuzuka Kiba walked in.

"Kiba!" She attempted to cry out. Something was off about him though. He was grimacing, biting his bottom lip as he didn't respond whatsoever. His eyes, his eyes were greedily taking her body in—noticing the sudden flush that overtook her body. He was actually staring and letting his eyes wander completely. She felt violated as her mouth suddenly became dry. All the joy of seeing him quickly dissipated and was replaced with fear as he appeared right over her.

Hinata saw the way his muscles were tensing, the way his own body seemed to fight his actions. Yet he didn't stop. As much as she cried and pleaded beneath the gag, he did not stop himself. It was painful for both of them. So the next morning, when Kiba had stopped and she had pretended to turn over and sleep, shivering from what was done—He cried. He cried for hours and hours, hearing Hinata's own soft sobs in the background.

By noon, they had held each other, both crying openly. She was so kind, so understanding, accepting his apologies over and over again. Even as he yelled at her not to, pleading with her to hate him; she only held him closer and rocked him until he was done.

They made it home a day after the festival, never speaking of it again. Yet Kiba saw it in her eyes every time they were alone: Hyuuga Hinata was tainted.


	4. Moments

**Hyuuga Hinata was denounced as heir at the age of 12. She was considered too weak, too fragile. Her sister, Hanabi, was going to become the next leader of the Hyuuga clan. At the age of 15, Hinata had improved herself enough to be declared the heir once more. The rest of the clan considered her heiress by birthright and stood by Hiashi's decision.**

"Hanabi will be the new heiress. You are no longer worthy Hinata. I will announce this at the next clan meeting." said the booming voice of Hyuuga Hiashi. He didn't need to speak nearly so loud. It was only a room with him and his two younger daughters in it.

Hinata only held her head down. She flushed in shame as she slowly nodded. She had failed.

Hanabi stared straight into her father's eyes, boring in. She politely held back the grin threatening to take over her face. This was her chance. Her sister was finally being seen for what she was: weak.

"Thank you, Father" both daughters said simultaneously. It couldn't have been more perfect if practiced.

_Three Days Later_

"That's not enough! Do it again!" Hiashi was fuming at the small girl on the ground. She was bruised, battered. She was in no condition to fight. She glared up from the ground, looking absolutely appalled.

"It was enough a few days ago!" She screamed back defiantly. Why was this happening all of a sudden? Wasn't she the strong one? Didn't he love her? All she could see were revolted eyes as he wrenched her up from the ground back to her feet. He then slapped her straight across the face.

"I thought you were better than her! I gave you this opportunity. Do not disappoint me!" He hit her again and again, the sound reverberating off the walls of the dojo.

"Please! It hurts!" She felt her hair being pulled as she was turned to look straight at his face.

"You will do it until I say you can stop. Stop acting like such a baby!" And then he threw her to the far wall, getting back into his battle stance.

"Okay, okay!" She got up, attempting to mimic his action even when her body was far beyond standing. She fell once more.

Hinata only sighed outside the door as she left the cups of tea by the frame. She knew that conversation all too well. It was the price of being an heiress, one her sister never had to pay before. This was the life that Hanabi worked so hard to get to.

_Three Years Later_

"What do you mean Hinata gets to be heir again?" Hanabi lashed out in fury. She didn't understand why her weak sister was being given the title again.

"Hinata has more than proven herself as a Hyuuga these last few years. She has improved greatly and she has the potential to do even better. She has earned her birthright. No longer will you be in line for it Hanabi." Hiashi remarked coolly. He hated being questioned, much less by his defiant daughters. He's only ever wanted a son.

Hanabi was shaking as she sat. Her sister reached out her hand to place on her shoulder but she immediately slapped it away. How dare she, the weak little girl she was, dare to place a hand on the stronger sister she betrayed? Why did she get to have it so easy?

Hiashi dismissed them with a lazy wave after a few moments. He didn't really want to see either of them anymore.

_One Day Later_

"Sister..." came a deep snarl from behind Hinata. She turned and saw Hanabi leaning against the doorframe of her room. Hinata turned back, continuing to pack for the mission ahead.

"Hello Hanabi." She mumbled. It wasn't often Hanabi ever came to see her. In fact, she couldn't even recall the last time they had a conversation that wasn't necessary. "Is there something you need? I believe I returned and replaced all the shuriken from last time. Breakfast is ready and your bento box is already prepared for training this afternoon..." Hinata pressed her finger to her chin in thought. There was not a single thing coming to her mind that Hanabi would want from her.

"Shut up!" Hanabi's voice was dry, icy as she walked closer to her big sister.

"P-pardon?" Hinata turned, shocked. Hanabi always prided herself in her language. Something so _impolite_ was not like her at all. Genuinely worried, she looked down the few inches to her younger sister and went to check her temperature. Once again, Hanabi slapped her hand away.

"Don't play sister with me now, Hinata. You stopped being my sister a long time ago. Three whole years, in fact." Hanabi glared up at her, clearly hating the way Hinata had cringed in response.

"What are you talking about...I've always taken care of you!" Hinata received a hysterical and slightly scary laugh from her younger sister in response.

"Taken care of me? As if! Did you think enough boxed lunches could fix what you did! You abandoned me!" Hanabi pushed at her sister, forcing her to fall to the floor.

Hinata just stayed put, not understanding her sister at all. "H-how?"

"You knew how he treated me all of a sudden. So many times, you were right there and did nothing to stop him! You're so selfish!"

"Selfish! How? How is that any different from what he treated me like before that? You're the one who wanted to be heiress! That's what being heiress was!" Hinata stood up now, upset at the sudden accusation. Hanabi only looked at her with disgust.

"So you're saying that made it okay? Because you've been through it, I had to as well? Once I knew what it was like; we could have worked together! We both could have stopped him! We could have been sisters sharing the pain and making this clan worth something! But, no!"

Hanabi was screaming now.

"You just let it happen! You didn't care that your little sister was being hurt. You just trained on your own, not even thinking once to help me. Even when you and Neji got close, you didn't help me! So you got better and the clan recognized you for once—so what? I was trained mercilessly for three years for apparently no reason whatsoever because the favorite little girl got off her ass and did something!"

Hinata exploded back. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I was trained the same way long before you were! You could never understand what it was like to be-!"

"To be what? WEAK? You could never understand what it's like to not be the favorite. Don't you deny it either! They were easy on you, even as weak as you are. What you thought was tough training was a day where they were kind to me! Because I could handle it. Because I was not weak. It was torture! And what did you do about it? NOTHING! You acted like I deserved it! And yesterday, I get told that the title I was fighting for, the only thing that kept me motivated has been taken by you. YOU!"

Soon, it was but a faint murmur that came from Hanabi's lips. "Do you remember when he gave up on you? When he disowned you and gave you to Kurenai, declaring you unfit to be a Hyuuga. If I became the head, you would not have had to suffer the fate of the branch family. You would have been spared. He never considered that for me when you were the heiress. He was willing to save you...only you."

Hanabi turned on her heel and left the room, running. Any second longer, and Hanabi wouldn't have been able to handle it. She would have broken down. She would have said how much she missed her sister, the only connection to their kind mother. She would have said that all she wanted was to not be so alone, struggling as her sister made friends and a better life. She would have told her she loved her.

Hinata finished packing, ready to meet the others in an hour. Tears streamed down her face. She truly was the worst.


End file.
